Wrench or other tool



J. R. AYOTTE.

WRENCH-0R OTHER TooL.

APPLICATION FILE-D JAN. 28.1920.

Patente Aug. 8, 1922,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. H. AYOTTE.

WRENCH 0R OTHER TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.28. 192'0.

l 9424;?94'@ f Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l-lllvllplllt wanner; on o'rnne TOOL.

Epecfcallon of Letters Patent.

Patented flug. 8; i922.

Application led January 2S, 1920. Serial No. 354,545.

To @ZZ fui/1,0m t 71u22/ concern Be it known that l, lossen REN Aror'rm a citizen or the l'ominion of Canalla. and a resident oi Chicago, Illinois7 have invented a certain new and useful niprovement in `Wrenches or Qther'lools. ot which the tollowing a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches olE that particular kind in which the. socket end which is formed to engage the nut or head of the bolt .is turned anddetlected laterally, so that the handle or shank portion ot the wrench or tool may extend. at an angle to the axis ot the bolt. to suit the convenience ot the user, when the tool is used in situations where an ordinary wrench would not be suitable, and in which a rotatable handle is provided at the other end ot the tool for the purpose ot rotating; the socket piece which engages the nut or head ot the bolt, whereby the shank or body of the tool may be held by one hand while the rotatable handle is operated by the other hand. thereby to turn the nut or head oi the bolt in the usual or ordinary manner.

Generally stated, the object of theiuvention is to provide a novel `and improved construction involvinecertain Adetails and tea.- tures ot construction and combinations tending; to increase the ,general eflieiency and the desirability ot a wrench or tool ot' the foregoing` general character.

Some special objects oi the invention are to provide an improved construction and rangement whereby the extension tube readily detachable from the shank or body ot the tool, when such is necessary or desirable; to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby a key groove is Formed in the slidable or extension tube, which. affords or insures certain advantages over previous constructions in which the groove was formed in the rotatable tube which is inside of the shankor body of the tool; to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby the transverse rod which forms a part oit the rotatable handle is held in place by a spring-pressed triction button. in a better and more satisfactory way than heretofore; to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby the socket piece which engages the nut or head of the bolt may be easily rotated by the thumb or finger, in starting; the rotation of a nut or bolt.l in situations where the initial rotation is more satisfactory when produced. this way than when it is attempted to accomplish this by rotation of the handle at the other end ot the tool; and to provide the shank or body ot the tool with a pair of knurled portions which are.

spaced apart to indicate the proper position n 'forth and claimed, and shown in the accompan'vinp; drawings, in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of a wrench or tool embodying the principles of the invention.

Fie: is a side elevation oit the handle and ratchet portion or" the said wrench or tool. showinc the ratchet adjusted ter operation in the opposite dirertien,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section ot the said wrench or tool. y

Fig. l is a perspective ot the lowerkey employed in the construction ot the tool..

Fie'. is a perspective ot a screw threaded cap which. when removed. permits the slidable or extension tube which contains the groove for said. key to be drawn out and separated 'from the other tubes.

Fig, 6 an enlarged sectional view of the -lower or socket end oi the wrench. show- `inoy a supplemental socket piece inserted therein. thereby to engage a nut or bolt head of smaller1 size.

Finn 7 is an enlarged cross section'on line 7-7 in Finn 3.

Fig. 8 .is an enlarged cross section on line 8-8 in Fig. 3.

Fig'. 9 is a perspective of the slidable ring which constitutes the means for reversinfr the operation ot the ratchet.

Fig. l() is an enlarged side elevation of a portion o't the slidable or extension tube, andv of a portion of the ratchet mechanism.

Fig. 1l is a perspective ot the three elements which constitute the spring-pressed button for frictionally holding the transverse handle rod against endwise displacement. y

Fig". l2 is an enlarged longitudinal seetional View of the element which constitutes the handle end of the tool. and which forms part ot the ratchet mechanism, and through which the transverse handle rod is inserted.

lll)

f of the rench.

Fig. 13 is a perspective of the loose ratchet toothed ring which constitutes a part of the reversible ratchet mechanism.

'Fig 14C is an enlarged cross section on line it-i4 in Fig. a.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises an outer tube 1 which serves as the shank or-body of the wrench. or other tool, and which is provided with upper and lower knurled portions 2 and 3 which are spaced apart. yto indicate the diilferent positions nec- Messary or desirable for one hand of the operator or user when the wrench is used under different circumstances, while the other hand engaged in rotatin the handle Said handle comprises a rod 4- which is inserted through the openings 5 oit the handle head 6, the latter having a bore 7, a larger bore 8 anda still larger bore 9 at the upper end thereof. The lower end oi this cylindric handle head provided with ratchet teeth 10, as will hereinafter more itullyappear, and the walls 'of the Aelement thus `:termed and arranged are provided with upper and lower holes 11 and 12 the former tor a screw 123, and the latter Jfor the removal of the pin-111, for purposes which will hereafter more iully appear. A cylindric button 15 tits the bore 9, and a disk 16 also tits said bore, and rests on the shoulder 17, a spring 18 being enclosed in the cavity 19 of said button, whereby the latter is yieldingly pressed against the under side ot the rod 4. to prevent endwise displacement ot the latterthat is to say, to prevent the rod from dropping out, but .at the same time permitting the rod to be removed when the wrench is not in use.V

The screw 13 engages the recess 20 .in the side of the button 15, more'or less loosely, thereby to prevent said button from falling outwhen the handle rod is removed, but permitting su'l'licient `play or movement of the button to enable it to press against the under side ot the handle rod. `A short section otv tubing 21 lits the bore 7 and has the pin 111 inserted tl'irough its upper end, a spring 22 being interposed between said pin and the shoulder 23 l'ormed on the inside of the handle head. whereby said tube -21 is normally held in lraised position against the bottom off the disk 16, but is capable of downward movement against the tension of said spring. The tube 21 is 'fastened by a pin 2li, orv in any suitable manner, to the head 25 ,Q the extension tube 26, this head havingratchet teeth 27 on the upper side thereoli- A. loose ratchet toothed. ring 28 is interposed between the teeth 10 and 27, it

being observed that said ratchetteeth oi the ring `28 face in opposite directions, and that theteeth 10 and 27 are correspondingly Shaped, so that a reversible ratchet mechanism is prevailed. To reverse the direction 'of operation or the ratchet, a sliding ring 29 is arranged to slide up and down on'the portions-30, 28 and 31, the effect being that the elements 28 and 31 are locked against relative rotation when this ring 29 is in i raised position, while the elements 28 and 30 ii'ioperative, so that oscillation oi` the handle head 6 will result in intermittentrotation of the tube 26 in either one direction or the other, depending upon which ratchet is in use. rEhe tube 26 is provided with a series olf notches 32 tor engaging the set screw 33 which is inserted laterally through the side of the tube head Bel, which latter is formed at the upper end ofthe tube 35, and the tube 26 is also provided. at its opposite side with a longitudinal groove 86 ttor engagement with the spline or vkey-block 37, thc` latter being held in a longitudinal recess 38 formed in the' tube head 84, so that Athe tube 26 is ,tree to slide endwisebut cannot rotate relatively to the other tubes. A cap 39 is formed to screw upon the screw threaded. upper portion ot the tube head 34,

Ainserted through the lower end of the tube 26, that the end of this pin is at the lower end olf the groove 36, and will engage the lower end oiNY the key 37 when the tube 2G is raised to its highest position. When the tube 26 is rotated, the tube 35 is thereby rotated within the shank or body tube 1, with the result that the socket piecev al is also rotated This socket piece is formed to engage a bolt head or nut, having a polygonal cavity 4:2 'forv this purpose. A universal joint 13, ot any suitable character, connects the socket piece ,al with the lower end of the rotary tube 35,"sothat the back and forth rotation ot the handle will cause an intermittent rotation of the socket piece. lt will be seen that the shank or body tube 1 has a laterally deflected lower end portion -1-1 in which the socket piece 11 rotates, said socket piece having an vannular "enlarged portion 15 which is knurled to permit rotation thereoit by thel thumb and finger of the user. iilso,it will be seen,rthis annular portion 15 isV provided with a groove 46 on f tube or shank whichI terms thebody with the extreme lower end of the of the tool. Upcnings 4T are provided at opposite sides in the ell/nv lfictiveen the portion 44 and the body of the tube "i to permit remo val. of the pin 48 of the universal joint-that to say, so that this pin can .be puslu-,f out to permit separation of the socket piece 4l from the rotary tube 35 when such is necessary or desirable.

The socket piece recess 42 is shaped to lit a certain size of nut or bolt, of course, but a supplemental socket piece 48 can be inserted in the cavity 4:2, being made to lit therein, and being` provided with a socket 49 to receive a nut or bolt head of smaller size, l 'with a plurality of these supplemental ension socket pieces 48, having?,- recesses or cavities of different sizes, the wrench or tool can be used in connection with 'nuts or bolt heads of various shapes and sizes. spring 50 is preferably inserted in the socket piece 4l to engage the notches l on the sup-` plemental or extension socket pieces, thereby to prevent the latter from dropping` out, but making` it possible to easilyinsert or remove each supplemental socket piece.

The ring 2S) is preferably provided with a r-zpringil to hold it frictionally in raised position, but it will be understood that the said reversible ratchet mechanism can be of any suitable, known or approved character.

llVhen the cap 39 is removed, the tube 26 can be raised until the pin 40 strikes the key 3i", and by lifting the latter upwardly, the tube 2G can be entirelyremoved from the upper end of the tube head 34, thus entirely disconnecting the extension tube from the other two cccentrically arranged and telescoped tubes l and 35, when this is necessary or ijlesirable. lVhen the set screw is unscrewed a distance, the tube 26 can then be adjusted endwise until the length of the wrench or tool has been increased to the desired extent, the groove 36 permitting' such eedwise adjustment, and the screw 33 can then be tightened to engage one of the notches 32, whereby the extension tube is then locked in its'adjusted or extended position.

Of course, during` the oscillation or back and forth operation of the handle 4 and handle head G, the latter will rise and fall on the tube 2l, as the ratchet teeth slide over each other and then settle into place, in the manner characteristic of a ratchet of this lgeneral character, but the spring 22, while permitting this movement, serves to yieldingly keep the ratchet teeth in operative engagement.

By grasping the portion 45 between the thumb and the finger, the socket piece 4i can be rotated, when this is necessary or desirable in starting' the nut or bolt, in any situation in which it -mipght be diiicult to do this by oscillation or rotation of the handle.

The entire tube l could be knurled on the outside, of course, but this is more or less expensive, and besides this wouldl not provide two separate and distinct handle portions. For this reason, therefore, it is preferable to provide the two separately formed or spaced portions 2 and as this affords sufficient opportunity for shifting the hand from the lower portion to the upper portion of the tube l, thus in effect indicating the two positions of the hand, and at the saine time reduces the cost of manufacture, inasmuch as the considerable intermediate portion of the tube l is allowed to remain smooth or without the knurled formation provided immediately above and bel w this portion. For different situations, and for different lengthwise adjustments of the wrench, it is desirable sometimes vto grasp the lower portion of the tube l and at other times to grasp-the upper portion of this tube, and the two separate knurled portions 2 and 3 constitute a sufficient and satisfactory provision for this purpose.

The angle of the portion 44 relatively to the tube l can be changed or varied, of course, but the angle shown is about right and is preferable for the ordinary or usual situations in which the use of a wrench of this kind is desirable, as it affords opportunity forthe rotation of a. nut or bolt head about an axis which is at an angle to the axis about which the rotatinp,` instrumentalities are operated, so that the hand ofthe operator does not have to be in direct aline'- mentI with the bolt or nut. rlhe usual advantages, however, of a wrench of this general character are so well known and understood, that further explanation thereof is unnecessary. As shown, the portions 28, 30 and 3l are preferably hexagonal, and the interior of the ringv 29 is also hexagonal, so that said ring` will lock the ring Q8 to the portion 30 or the portion 3l, in the manner described, thereby to render either one ratchet or the other inoperative. Of course, though, as explained, the ratchet mechanism may be of any suitable character and may be y'iven any suitable or desired formation.

What I claim as my invention is l. In a wrench or tool of the class described, the combination of an outer stationary tube formirng a shank or handle, an inner rotary tube, an extension tube telescoped within the rotary tube, said extension tube having; a longitudinal groove therein, and means engaging said groove to prevent relative rotation between said rotary tube and said extension tube, together with a toollike device connected with the rotary tube and a handle connected to the extension tube.

2. A structure as specified in claim l, said means comprising a removable key, the rotary tube having means to hold the key in place.

3. A structure as specified in claim l, said extension tube having a series of notches at one side thereof, and the rotary tube having means for engaging said notches, whereby the rotary tube and the extension tube be locked in adjusted position.

4. ln a wrench 'or tool of the class described, the combination or' a shank or body forming one handle of the tool, a tool-like device at the lower end of said shank, an inner rotary tube connected to said device, an extension tube in said rotary tube, means including` a longitudinal groove inthe extension tube and means at the outer end 0i the rotary tube for engagingthis groove to form a spline and to movably connect the rotary tube with the extension tube, so that rotation of the extension tube will rotate the rotary tube, means permitting total disconnection of the extension tube from the upper end olf the rotaryl tube without disconnecting the rotary tube from said device, and a second handle connected to the eXtension tube.

5. A structure as specified in claim 4, said means for permitting disconnection of the extension tube from the rotary tube comprising a cap screwed upon the rotary tube.

6. ln a wrench or tool of the class de-k scribed, the combination of an oscillatory or rotatable handle head, a transverse handle rod slidably inserted through saidhead, a button fitted in the head to engage said rod, a disk in said head, and a spring interposed between the disk and the button, together with means to prevent the button from being displaced from the head when said rod is withdrawn Jfrom the head.

7. In a wrench lor tool of the class described, the combination of an outside tube forming a shank or first handle for the tool, a socket piece rotatably mounted in one end the upper end o'l' handle is connected to said socket piece, with o a disconnecting screw cap forming a fourth handle adjacent the spline between the iirst handle an d the third handle. A

8. A structure as speciiied in claim 7, said means comprising a knurled ring-like portion on the socket piece, which portion is formed with a groove to receive therein the end of said tube. y

9. In a wrench or tool ot the class described, the combination of an outside tube forming a shank or iirst handle, a rotatable tool-like device forming a second handle at the lower end o said shank, a third handle and means including a longitudinally grooved extension tube engaged by means forming a spline at kthe outer end of said shank and whereby this handle is connected to rotate said device, means forming a grip near the upper. end of said tube, the two grips being spaced apart and having a smooth surface of the tube between them, so that two definite and predetermined positions for the hand are indicated on said tube, and disconnecting means at the top or" the rst handle adjacent the spline to permit disconnection between the third handle and said device.

10. A structure as specified in claimV 9, the connection between said device and the handle by which it is rotated comprising an eir- Y sition. f

JOSEPH RENE AYOTTE. 

